“Academics, friends, societies, parties, lectures, sports... It's the best cocktail any student could imagine!” DCU alumni Achint discusses how the student experience shaped him as an individual.
Achint took the time to discuss the year he spent at Dublin City University and the value of his student experience for personal and professional development. After receiving an award for his engagement with student life outside of the classroom, he wishes to encourage the students he works with to fully immerse themselves into university life.
Name: Achint Atri
From: Gurgaon, India
Course studied: MSc Business Management
University: Dublin City University
Current role: Lecturer and Dissertation Supervisor at Dublin Business School
Fun fact: Achint once became the DJ at DCU’s Holi festival and provided Irish students with a great taste of Indian music!
Arriving in Dublin as an international student
“Being an international student, I was quite sceptical about coming to Ireland and studying at DCU. However, I truly believe that it was one of my best decisions to date. As an international student, studying abroad is about more than education. It was a big dream of mine: I had this passion to go abroad and be a great role model for people back at home.
It’s not always easy coming from a different background, but there were small things that made me feel at home. Even the Irish flag sharing the colours of the Indian flag made me feel welcome! I also remember a really friendly taxi driver who was one of the first people I met there.
DCU do inductions for all students, with an emphasis on helping international students to settle in. A highlight for me was a trip to a farm where I became the head chef and had to tell 60 students how to bake bread – I didn’t know I had this potential! That encouraged me from the outset to take risks and step out of my comfort zone.”
Winning DCU’s Silver Engage Award for extra-curricular commitment
“It’s always wise to be constructively busy when on campus. From a professional and personal point of view, it’s a great place to develop your skills. At DCU, there are more than 150 societies to cater to all hobbies, interests and passions – and of course the opportunity to set up your own! For me, societies are a catalyst for making both local and international friends as well as creating social and academic circles.
Luckily, I performed well enough in a certain module to go for the DCU engagement award and was awarded silver. This programme encouraged us to participate fully in student life, all whilst enhancing our employability skills outside of the curriculum. I was an active member of more than 9 societies, which helped me become a more innovative and a confident individual.
In terms of professional development, the Student Business Consulting society really helped me to create a niche for myself. The people who run the society paired me up with a company to give me experience of working on a consulting project. I got to work with the company for around 6 months, which was an invaluable opportunity. Honestly, societies are about much more than free pizza!”
Wisdom for students preparing for the transition to the world of work
“You need to be practical about it and start early – it’s better to be prepared! For me, the fascinating thing about a big university like DCU is that there is lots of exposure to all sorts of people, which really prepares you for moving onto a career. The standard of education provided by the faculty was very high too, so be sure to absorb all of the expertise!
More generally, I would recommend brushing up of soft and hard skills, especially industry-friendly ones. It’s good to keep your knowledge up to date about the latest developments in your field too. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to give everything 100% and you will attract good things without having to worry too much.”
Achint says that teaching allows him to impart his knowledge onto the next generation, a passion that he found thanks to a ‘Next Generation’ module that he undertook during his course. He hopes to inspire his students to be ready to take on and challenge in life. Reminiscing about his time as a student, he concludes, “Academics, friends, societies, parties, lectures, sports... It is the best cocktail which any student can ever imagine!”
Interested in Achint’s experience? Find him on LinkedIn: